Before Gritty stole the hearts of sports fans everywhere, the Philadelphia Flyers had another mascot: Slapshot. Described as "if Grimace and the Hamburglar had a baby" by Jay and Dan on Sportscentre, Slapshot was the first mascot in Flyers history. He had a short-lived career, debuting in 1976, only to be scrapped by 1977.
Hearing that the growing speculation of the Flyers introducing a mascot is true, but unsure what it is. Team has only had 1 mascot, short-lived in 1976, called Slapshot. pic.twitter.com/SoClWPSqXy
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) September 19, 2018
Slapshot's routine consisted of an on-ice performance where he would do a routine to the Rocky theme. He had skates and even scored a goal in the song.
The Flyers went 40 years without a mascot because of the Slapshot rejection
"I had this power-skating routine," Dennis Boyle, the man inside the Slapshot suit, said, "And you're reaching the crescendo of the Rocky theme. I grabbed this puck at center ice, we did this two-or-three-minute routine, I put the puck in the net at the end of the Rocky song, and the place went bananas."
Boyle was paid $25 a night for his appearance as Slapshot. No one really knows what Slapshot was meant to be. He was described in one post as "big, orange, and wore a hat," and one fan hypothesized that he might be a "bear-alligator" hybrid. Sadly (or maybe not, depending on your opinion of him), Slapshot disappeared after the 1976-77 season and was never seen again. No one seems to know why the mascot disappeared.
Slapshot may be considered a forgotten mascot, but he's not completely lost in Philadelphia history. For one, he is the father of the Phillie Phanatic and the husband of Phoebe Phanatic. Interested parties can also get their hands on a Slapshot plushie on eBay for about $250.
The Flyers were mascot-less for 40 years before Gritty emerged from his secret hideout below the Xfinity Mobile Arena. It's said that the Flyers marketing team determined the need for a mascot when they went to the 2016 NHL All-Star Game and saw the marketing and community outreach that mascots provided for other teams. Gritty was born from that and has since become one of the most unique mascots in all of sports.
Gritty and his predecessor do have a few things in common. Aside from being orange and somewhat terrifying looking, no one can seem to decide what Gritty is supposed to be either. Yet, that doesn't stop Gritty from being a beloved mascot and having the most followers of any NHL mascot. It's safe to say Gritty won't disappear anytime soon.
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